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How can you not be a Sandra fan after that. That's more entertaining than any "competition" on foodtv.

I've thought a bit about this and what concerns me most is the number of hours of Sandra Lee footage you must have had to watch in order to pull this together. You poor soul!

I enjoyed the "gimmicks". Let's face it, these chefs already have earned their toques. Now it is time to take them out of their comfort zones and make them sweat (but not like Michael - ew). I was rooting for Tim too, but Hubert was a class act from start to finish. They don't need the loft-drama. They already know and respect each other. This is really about showing their poise and creativity when things go south. Kelly is about as appealing as a plain rice cake, and she can leave any time.

Masters is as exciting as an Ambien with a chamomile tea chaser...

Gotta disagree peekpoke. Kelly Choi could read a cue card without looking pained. That alone put her above KLJ.

Kelly Choi major let down. Katie Lee Joel was a lot better than her. However, Padma is all time favorite
Overall, funny show and great cooking.

I fell asleep. The food was interesting but the show was not. And I am a HUGE fan of the Top Chef show so I was really disappointed in this one.
I liked watching Hubert Keller though.

I liked it -- not as much fun as regular top chef, but neat to see these renowned chefs still making absolutely amazing food while out of their element. I also liked how collegial they were with each other -- it was refreshing and charming. I still can't wait for the next season of regular top chef to return, though ...

I really enjoyed TCM! I came home from the gym early and squeezed in most of it before I had to leave for work.

I must say I really enjoyed this. It was nice to see professionals out of their comfort zone (sorry I really loved them trying to please girl scouts and cook in a dorm room) and really rock it! I was impressed .. haven't seen the end yet, but there was no spoilers in this .. it's obvious who the winner is, but I enjoyed everyone's effort!

Bring back Padma. End of story.

@adrockuw,

I agree with you that the dishes should be presented to the judges anonymously. That is the fairest ways to do things, no doubt about it. On the other hand, I started watching this rooting for Tim Love, a fellow Texan and the only chef I really knew anything about going in. Hubert Keller won this thing hands down, fair and square. No one of the contestants made a really bad dish as far as I could tell, but Keller's were better.

He adapted and overcame. He walked into the grocery store, looked at what they had on hand and decided on what to cook. The other chefs walked in hoping to find what they needed to cook something they knew well or wanted to cook. He did not whine or bellyache about the tools and conditions that he was saddled with and he did not make any major mistakes. That's why he won.

Hmm.. try eatbite.com

I know I'm a little late to the table, but this is an issue that always gets me wound up and I just wanted to add my 20%

I was a barista for years, at an independent coffee shop and I depended on tips to survive. My minimum wage salary barely covered my rent and utility costs, so my tips provided me with food and other essentials as well as funds non essential items and activities which a person needs from time to time. To me a barista is no different than a bartender, they just serve different kinds of beverages. And I would assume that most people tip their bartender, even if all they are ordering is a bottled beer.
I actually labeled my tip jar "Karma Jar" and with the exception of one Hindu woman who found it offensive, people were very responsive to it. I always tip at least $1 esp if I know the tips are being pooled.

I also always tip the pizza delivery guys. They may get paid more than server rate, but they have to use their own car, and making frequent short trips does add to the wear and tear of any vehicle, plus buy their own gas and we all know how that's been lately. People have told me that it's not necessary to tip when a delivery fee is added to the bill, but more often then not that delivery fee goes to the restaurant, not the delivery guy. Pizza delivery can also be a rather dangerous occupation, for more info visit
http://tipthepizzaguy.com/
Which is a little snarky here and there but does give some perspective from the delivery guy's point of view